


That Day

by Chiye



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cute Kids, Doctor Who References, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy References, I love the hitchhiker's Guide, Not Beta Read, You may want to hug something on the end of this story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-03-13 20:49:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18948388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiye/pseuds/Chiye
Summary: When I was nine, I found out a blue box, who took me to two other kids and a pendant. I figured out it all was part of a great plan to save Gallifrey’s memories, all well worked from an ancient wise organization, under cover. Digging more I was able to realize that everything I knew about Gallifrey and his people was a lie. I’m now two hundred and some, and I have to share this.





	1. Prologue

Seven of they were around the table, all being serious. What they were doing was against almost every moral law in the known universe, and out of it. Aside the table were three little wood cribs, with three little babies inside. One of them was crying out loud, but no one seemed to care. On the center of the table was a projection: the screen was divided in three, each one displaying a tiny baby. One of them was crying out loud, a woman trying to put this particular baby to sleep, unsuccessfully. 

“Then it’s settled.” An old time lord said, arms crossed. “The first part went really great, we just need to monitor them until the match time. This, of course, because I presume everything is ready with the nests?” 

“Everything is settled, my lord” 

“Then I pass the charge of the education to the Institute as a whole. They must be well feed and educated, fearless” 

“Ay, my lord” 

“Then this meeting is over, return the younger to her timeline” He turned the projection off. “Keep me updated. This plan needs to work”


	2. When they landed

Greetings, humans. 

Before we start, I should tell you that I’m still learning your idiom, so please tell me if I write something wrong. Doing that in a friendly way you’ll be a great help, reader. As a writer, is a shame to me to admit, but I do indeed write somethings wrong in English; it’s not my native language, of course. 

Ok, note given, let’s set the beginning when I was a skinny nine-years-old. I know there are many things you should (and want to) know, things you must be wondering now, probably because what you read on the synopses, but take it easy. We’ll walk from the little me to the actual me, two hundred and ten years, faster than you’re hoping for. This is a huge story, narrated in a very short form to avoid any unnecessary exposure or pain. 

When I was nine I had a friend, as humans usually do. Her name was Ellen, she was about my age. Same class, same interests, two little addicted fans of Doctor Who. That night we were looking at the moon through her telescope at her house. I did have a house at that time, despite my mom saying all the time that it doesn't look like I did. I used to go to school, the library, the museum, the hill and Ellen's house, and repeat it on the other day, with some variations, like the game store or the lake. My name was Chiye, by the way. Chiye Keiko, but I didn’t like that last name much. I was the skinny girl with dark eyes, short hair and a backpack, that was always with me. My friend, Ellen, the tiny one with light brown hair said that before Mars (that was visible that night), we would see the moon, our favourite view. So she focused and took her eye out of the telescope, staring at the moon with her naked eyes, seemed confused. 

“I really think that you can see better looking in there.” I joked, pointing at the telescope. 

Ellen turned and stared at me. 

“There is a little purple square on the moon” she said, impressed, eyes wide open. 

I was sure she was pranking me. I was a weird kid, always talking about black holes, warp speeding and quantum interlacing and lacking the social ability to understand sarcasm and some pranks. I didn't use to look people in the eyes all the time and my mind was usually away from the current place my body was (it still happens, I must say). A well-made prank on me could be a sort of trophy, and I never blamed them for the treatment, though. 

“No way”, I said. 

“Really, Chiye”, she replied. “Take a look yourself!”. 

I knew Ellen. She was impressed, I could tell. We used to have theatre classes together, so I knew she couldn't act that good. Maybe she just made a small mistake... 

“OK” 

I Looked on the telescope already formulating a lecture about how to use the instrument correctly, but I saw it too. 

“Wow”, I said, then realized something “It’s kind of blue, not purple. We can’t be sure, it’s blurry. And isn’t bigger than a dot!” 

“Yes... but what is that?” Then she smiled. “Could be the TARDIS. A big box would look this tine from this distance” 

“Talking about it, shouldn’t we move? The show is about to start. Later I can help you clean the lens.” 

Ellen agreed. We came down to the kitchen, to make some popcorn and watch the new doctor who episode. I've figured out the show on the same day I moved to the new house, a couple months ago; Everything was still inside the boxes. I sat in one of them and turned on the tv, just changing channels on random until I saw a blue box flying. Then a man walked out, said "merry Christmas" and passed out. That was weird and unusual, so it got my attention, of course. Some episodes later I showed it to Ellen, the only person I know at my new school, and we turned into best friends, both addicted on the show. I just didn’t know what was the magic behind it. 

We made the popcorn, but we didn’t get to turn the TV on because Black, the dog, began to bark very loudly and a smell of smoke hit us. We ran to the backyard prepared to see fire and a scared dog, but what we found was a big blue box and a scared man frightened by a scared dog, who barked and barked and scratched, trying to bit the male figure, the most eccentric one we ever saw. 

He had a hair that almost covered his eyes, deep dark eyes, five toes each hand (one covering the mouth and the nose because of the smoke) and wore dark jeans, dark shirt and shoes. He wasn't any Doctor from the TV show. I stared at Ellen and she stared at me, both thinking the same: a prank. But, the more I stared at him and the box, the more I felt uncomfortable, like I was staring in a strong light that was making me dizzy. I was really starting to feel bad, like when you feel if you don't eat for hours. This until he took the hand out of the mouth, breaking this feling. 

“Get off!” He screamed to black. “Out! Away! Stay, ah... sit!” Then he raised his head and saw us. “Oh, hi!” And turned again to his problem: Black. “Out, flea fur!” 

“Ok, Black, go to your bed, go boy.” Ellen Said, taking Black to the big red pillow. The dog was still barking. “Good boy, Black, good boy. Now stay here.” 

We both approached again. The smoke was everywhere, but it seemed to come from the TARDIS (and how the heck someone put it on the backyard??). The man pretending to be the Doctor coughed and lifted his right hand. 

“Hi. I am the Doctor. Sorry for the mess, but I couldn't avoid it.” He shook ours hands and I knew, looking at Ellen, that she really believed in all that history. “Can I borrow some stuff? I'm hungry. And I need some source of energy”. 

And he just entered the house, looking around, hands in his pockets. 

“Nice grass” He said, trying to make small talk. “Pretty green and... cool”. 

Ellen and I stared at each other again. 

“He landed on my mom’s flowers” She said, gasping. “How I’ll explain it to her? She won’t believe the TARDIS landed here!” 

“Honestly, this is a prank, Ellen.” A prank that was make me feel like... I was not real. Like I was dreaming. And dizzy. And weird. Grah. “We’re probably being filmed right now!” 

“No way!” 

“Well, prank or not, there is a strange man inside the house, we should call your mom”. 

Ellen sighed. 

“Which part of ‘she wouldn’t believe any of this’ you didn’t get, Chiye? ” 

It was my turn to sigh. 

“Let’s watch him, then.” 

Maybe it seems weird to you, reader, two nine years old all alone at home, but the times were others, nice neighbourhood. Plus, Ellen's mother was in the next door. We entered the house and found the man drinking water from a glass we could swear was inside the cupboard, away from strangers. He turned to us suddenly. 

“Where could I find a source of power?” We remained in silence. “Power plants, hydroelectric, wind...” Still silence. “Oh, come on.” More silence. “Ok, never mind. Just give me some time... And this... And that...” 

And he left again, grabbing two apples and our popcorn. 

“My mom’s bowl...” 

I stare at Ellen again. She was smiling. 

“Oh, no.” I said. It had to be a joke! 

“Yes.” She said. Of course it was not a joke! 

“Oh, no!” I said. Double joke! 

She smiled again and we ran to the backyard, with me just behind. She pushed the TARDIS door and we entered, stopping, completely astonished. The box was really bigger on the inside, really buzzing and really completely full of smoke. We were taken away from our contemplation by coughing. The Doctor, who has picked up a gas mask from God know where saw our situation and ran to us, taking two little masks from his pockets, who was too little to fit them. I staggered while put the mask on. 

“Crazy little humans!” He said. “You two, get the hell out of here!” He tried to kick us out, but we fought back the best way we knew: Ellen ran to one side and I ran to the other one. The Doctor stared at us, a little mad. “Look, I know that inside here is weird and you want to understand what is going on, but I really need to fix this machine and get the hell out of here. So, move.” 

“No way we get out before a trip.” Ellen Said. 

The Doctor became suspicious. 

“How the hell you know that?” He seemed to love the word “hell”. “How much do you know?” 

“Lots.” I said, suddenly felting an intuition. --That you are the Doctor, Defensor of worlds, the last of the time lords, all alone traveling all the time and space in your TARDIS, also the last one, a good old type 40. 

“We know really a lot about you, your companions, Gallifrey... The Great Time War...” Ellen said, giving him a challenge look. 

He stared at us, thinking. The truth is that he wasn't on his original dimension; after a very painful regeneration process, the TARDIS took him to our dimension, landing on the moon, but he managed to came to earth. The two dimensions shared a black hole, so there was a way to go between them without broke all the reality tissue. 

“Later I will come back here and you two humans will tell me how you know all that stuff, since no one should know me here. But until then, get the hell out of my TARDIS!” 

But on the moment he stepped on our direction to gently kick us out, the TARDIS shut the door, blinked all the lights and started to move the gears, throwing the three of us on the ground. The Doctor crawled back to the console, trying to take the control of the ship, vainly. Ellen grabbed the chair and I grab her arm. We were on our knees, waiting, half scare, half excited, not knowing what was happening around us: two perfect examples of Homo sapiens. 

After a feel more shaking, the TARDIS stopped at once, brutally, and all the lights and gears were turned off. We stand up. The Doctor tried to turn the machine on again, but nothing happened. 

“Ok, first things first: don’t panic” He Said. “We are next to the end of the 29th century. Wow. Ok, here's my plan: we will gather all the stuff I need to fix my TARDIS and we'll come back to where you two come from. I'll leave you there and Voilà, everything fixed, back to my own dimension. Got it? 

“Got it.” I said. 

“And you two will come with me now and do exactly what I say to, until I get everything I need to fix the TARDIS, this machine, got it?” 

“Got it.” Ellen Said. 

Whoever saw us so well behaved won’t suspect anything at all. 

“Ok, let’s go” 

He opened the door and let us through. We wait outside until he locked the door and started to walk, then we followed, always looking around: the scenery was all brown, completely arid, dry and dusty. There were no houses, no people, no plants, no animals, nothing. And around us the air was dark, like the entire world was covered with pollution. The Doctor advertised us to keep the masks on, and we roll over the eyes, because of course we weren’t that dumb. 

We walked for hours. I was not able to calculate the time exactly. We walked until the TARDIS was no more visible when we peeked behind us. Until me and Ellen feel desperately thirsty. Until we three see dark dirty buildings on distance. Until we arrive in those buildings and the people who was there started to stare at us. Everyone wore rags and short hair and were filthy. Ellen and I saw a white construction that seem completely dislocated on the awful place. The Doctor kept marching to there, decided, and we followed. On a sign in front of the building was the word “Guardians”. 

Maybe we were to distracted with the building, maybe everything happened too suddenly, but the fact was this group of children jump on ours backs and started to fight us, trying to pick something out of our pockets (making a good profit with the Doctor). There were about ten kids, most of them older than me and Ellen; we took some of them away and more came to us. Ellen tried to run, but they hold her. The Doctor was busy trying to recover some of his items and I almost slapped one boy, but someone held me. I realized too late that my lung was burning. I was no longer using the mask; someone took it away. Was impossible to keep fighting, and it became harder and harder to breath. I tried to look to Ellen and The Doctor, to check if they were safe, but I couldn't focus or think. The thieves finished pickpocketing me and let me lay on the floor. The last thing I saw was the rain; it started to fall as I fainted, still trying to breath while the world become more and more blurry. 

With love,  
Chiye W.

PS: It is funny how weak humans are and still, how further they can survive. And adapt. At that moment, I still didn't knew anything about plans, pendants and secret organizations. Don’t you worry, reader, you’ll learn these things with my younger version. As already told, I’m now two hundred and ten years old, in the Doctor’s dimension, posting this here through sub-etha net. I’ll keep you guys on track, but first I would like to ask a favour: a beta reader. Would someone who was talking English since childhood be able to help me here?


	3. What I dreamed

Dear reader. 

Brother, maybe.

In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. And God said; let there be light, and there was light, with random sounds that hit me slowly; a voice, footsteps... I noticed how thirsty I was... because I walked for so long, I presumed... Or I dreamed that? The TARDIS and everything? Seemed too odd to be true... 

At this point, my eyes were open, looking around. I was on some kind of steampunk nursery; everything seemed rudimental, dirt, but I could see scanners and other tech suggestions all over the place. The Doctor was asleep on one bed. I just saw his shoes, because there was a curtain keeping him apart from me and Ellen, who was seated in one bed next to me. At that time, I used to think on time lords as invincible persons with superior bodies, no weakness. But with a binary system requiring two times more oxygen, he was more vulnerable to the polluted air than us, even with his superior respiratory system. That sort of stuff I learned later on, after the pedant. A man in a white medical coat was talking to Ellen, but came to me when I seated. 

“Hi” He said, friendly. His glasses were dirt and his eyes were brown and tired. “I’m Richard Hinxstone, also known as Hinxs. What’s your name, child? “ 

“Chiye Keiko... Just Chiye.” I answered. I never liked that last name much. “I need water” 

For me it was the most urgent thing on that moment. He stood and walked away a few steps, opening a cabinet. 

“Are you ok?” I whispered to Ellen. She nodded. 

“Yes. He wants to know about us; I said we are students, and the Doctor, aka John Smith, is a scientist. We’re doing some research on the pollution” She whispered back. Very clever story, indeed. 

Now we were supposed to tell the Doctor the backstory before Hinxs asked him. Speaking of the devil, he came back with a glass full of water looking a little too visible for my preferences. But I was so thirsty that I drank a sip. 

My face twisted; the water tasted... not good. You know when you are on a construction site and kind of taste dust? Put on that some vinegar, salt, a little orange juice watered down and a little rotten and smashed painkiller pills. That was the tasty. I almost spit it out, but recomposed and a tiny “thank you” escaped from my mouth. 

“So, Chiye...” I placed the glass on the nightstand “Your friend Elle was telling me your story. Can you explain it better?” 

“Sure, hum... We’re researchers, the three of us. We’re trying to find something to use against that pollution... but a bunch of kids stole ours masks and...” 

“Liars” Hinx said, interrupting me. I glanced at Ellen and she was as scared as me. “Here, when a new person is born, an intern filter is applied to his (or her) nose. It is permanent, and you don’t have it” 

“We’re not from here!” Ellen almost screamed. “We’re from another country” 

Hinx smiled, sarcastic. 

“When I mean here, child, I mean the all planet. Plus, your friend isn’t human” 

My mind started to think in warp speed, but Ellen was faster and lucky to notice one detail. 

“How we’re breathing normal here?” 

“The guardian’s is a governmental research unit. We were able to purify the intern air with some principles learned from the seaweeds.” He seemed very proud of his explanation “It’s a very expensive project, so we weren’t able to spread it to other places...” 

“John, you’re awake!” I interrupted him, relived. 

The Doctor seated on the bed, looking around, placing his hands on his pockets and releasing his breath. I giggled, realising he was relieved because the sonic was still with him. Then he blinked at me while Hinx served him a glass of water, that, just I did, he almost spit. 

“So...” Hinx started again. “You’re not a kid, let’s talk man to man” 

“What do you mean, talk man to man... Ah!” He giggled. “Never mind, I’ll get used again. Just go ahead” 

Hinxs just blinked before talk again. 

“You’re not human, and you’re not from here. Our planet is dead, we need a new place to go to.” Hinx sighed, passing his hand on his face. “Please, you have to help us” 

I stared at Ellen. She was surprised too; we didn’t expect something like that. The Doctor thought a little before answered. 

“I’m not from this dimension, I don’t know how things are going here. I simple can’t deliver to you centuries of knowledge...” 

“We don’t need centuries of knowledge. We just need to find a viable planet to land on; we already have the necessary equipment, but our atmosphere is so dark we can’t observe properly. The calculations are always imprecise because of that, and we can’t afford take the wrong way up there. We don’t have the money neither the time to do so. People are dying. Everyday.” 

The Doctor looked around, mind running. 

“If I deliver you the information and the calculations you need, I want something back” 

“Whatever you want” 

“I need some things to fix my own ship. Nothing too complex” 

“Make a list, John” 

“Then we have a deal, hum...” 

“Hinx” 

“Hinx. It’s a deal, then” 

\- 

Ten minutes later we were leaving the nursery. Hinx called another scientist, Yohan, and a little red round robot, called Niv-Ram. He had one wheel and one eye. Hinx asked to the Doctor to follow him and Yohan. 

“What about us?” Ellen asked. 

“They’re my responsibility, I can’t let they get hurt. Or broke something” The Doctor explained, hands on his pockets. 

“Don’t you worry” Yohan said, placing a hand on Niv-Ram. “Niv-Ram will take the children to the library, and distract they with games while we work, right, buddy?” 

The robot blinked his eye happily. 

“I’m very happy to help ya. Come on, girls, this way!” 

We followed, glancing behind to see the Doctor talking with the scientists while walking. Many other scientists passed by us, not even saying hi, despites Niv-Ram enthusiastic greeting all of them. 

“Hi! Always a pleasure to see ya! Have a nice good day! Do you already saw how the weather is good today? I’m so happy to see ya!” 

“He must be the happiest creature in the universe” I whispered to Ellen; the robot was starting to annoy me. She giggled. 

“I think he’s really cut” 

“This way, ladies. A day of fun wait for us!” 

The library was a large room, empty that time, with a few desks and lots of books on shelfs, on the floor, all over the place. In the back was a big holographic TV, which made a beep when Niv-Ram connected himself to it. 

“I have a great collection of games on my memory. We can all play together after we talk for a while!” 

And for a robot, he loved to chat: we talked about favourite games, family, friends, school, music, movies and books. And Niv-Ram had a lot of games on his memory. We picked one and played on the TV; there was no joysticks, we needed to move our bodies. I don’t think it’s necessary to describe a child’s play day here with details, so let’s just skype to the important part, all right? Some hours later, we were invited to have some dinner (that tasted as bad as the water) and get some sleep. The Doctor said he would sleep for a couple hours too, after finish some differential calculus. But he promised he would be up before us the next day. 

Niv-ram showed to me and Ellen where we could sleep a little. The Guardian had some rooms, extremely tiny rooms with bunkbeds and a wardrobe each. We followed him until one of that doors while he sang “frere jacques”. 

“Do you need anything else?” He asked, blinking his one eye happily. Ellen giggled. 

“No, we’re fine, thanks” 

“In that case, sleep tight!” Then he turned his back to us and left, humming Ode to Joy. We closed the door and Ellen seated with me on the lower bed. 

“Are you ok?” I asked her. 

“I’m fine. And you?” 

“Yeah...” 

It was the first time since we came into the TARDIS that we were able to talk alone. Too much had happened, and we felt that urge humans have to repeat in a conversation everything that happened all day long. 

But we were just kids back that day, really tired ones. So, instead of talk, Ellen climbed onto the upper bed; instead of talk back, I laid down, pushing the raw blanket until my chin. I was asleep less than ten minutes later. 

Now, reader, I want you to pay close attention. Leave the phone for a while, come on. There’s no need to read fast. Just to situate you, the following events where a dream I had that night. Well, not exactly, considering I was human and forgot lots of details. But a dreamt it again over the years. Many more times than I would appreciate. Allow me, reader: 

There where bombs. Bombs and fire everywhere outside those walls. I was laid down on a hospital bed, three of them around me, standing, watching, preparing. Time lords, I knew. Time lords from the Institute. The amount of time lords that knew about the Institute wasn’t big; it was compose originally for seven persons, plus the plan’s children. And two others. 

By my side, on a tiny table were a pendant, laying closed. It was golden, very small, without any stamps or inscriptions and was attached to a golden necklace. I listened to the conversations of the ones surrounding me, my eyes closed, trying not to cry, not to feel. 

“The war is almost over” 

“Yes, my lord...” 

“We got to do it now, there’s no more time” 

“Poor children” 

“They’ll save Gallifrey’s memories!” 

“It’s needed, and they could share their memories later” 

“The girl on earth is fine, this got to work. We can get rid of their bodies later” 

I started to sob loudly, tears falling to my cheeks. I was in panic now. 

“It’s ok, lady Writer” Skarguillo whispered to me. “Just relax, and don’t move” 

As if I could; I was tied to that bed, waiting for my death. Because that was the plan, and it was vital the plan worked. 

Then they placed something on my head. I don’t saw what, but I had a guess. Then my whole body burned, a shiver ran my spine, hot and painful. I screamed and cried, calling for help, but it didn’t came. The pain reached an apex and started to drop, very, very slowly. Even with my eyes closed I could perceive the strong orange light around me. 

“You’re ok” He whispered again, voice less firm than I’ve ever heard. “I’m so sorry, Writer. So sorry” 

Before I felt asleep as a human, a needle poked my arm, and everything became far and dark. Forever. 

\- 

I woke up covered on my own sweat, my whole body shaking, in panic. 

“Are you alright?” Ellen asked, jumping of the bed to the floor. 

“Yeah...” 

My throat was on fire; I’ve probably screamed with myself in that dream. 

“What happened?” 

“I...” The details of the dream were running away from me, fading really quick. “I... had a bad dream, that’s all” 

I took several deep breaths while Ellen was talking, trying to remain calm. 

“Yeah, I know the feeling. I think that it’s because everything that happened today; I had a dream with Black and K9...” 

I tried to smile to her, despite the weird feeling deep on my chest. I had felt the pain from the dream, real and hot, with the fear and the sorrow. And that pendant... I’ve already saw similar things on the show. But instead of give it any tough, my human brain just tried not to think of it. Dumb decision. 

“I’ll join the Doctor and Hinxs and ask if I can help with anything” I announced, wanting to keep myself busy. “Will you come?” 

“Ok” 

We ran for the corridors and the scientists, getting lost, asking a bearded scientist if he knew where Hinxs was with the Doctor and finally arriving there. Yohan was there as well, with Niv-Ram. The Doctor told us to eat something, then we helped delivering pens and calculators for a while, and played with Niv-Ram. 

Now, reader, I need you to keep three things on mind: 

-The pendant; 

-The little Gallifreyan tied up to a bed; 

-The little human on earth who was fine. 

I can elaborate a little on this last topic: There was a child, human, who was fine. She was born and raised on earth, and her name was Chiye Keiko, although she didn’t liked that last name much. She was fine, and it was really important for the plan of a certain Institute she didn’t even knew about. 

I, Writer, have been traveling with the Doctor for two hundred and one years. And no, the Keiko girl wasn’t a human body waiting for her conscientious. As already said, she was born and raised in earth, just another ordinary human being, with a real past. Did it confuse you, reader? I’m not surprised. But don’t worry. Later on I’ll explain you about dimensions and some of their theories. See you soon.

Best regards,   
Chiye W.

PS: I'm still looking for some kind human do be my beta reader.


	4. Three more dreams

Dear reader, 

I’m back. Yey. 

You must be curious about the TV show. A friend just warned me that some of you may be. I mean, how a show about the Doctor was on air, if he is real? How can such a thing be real? And how he permitted it? 

Well, first of all, have on mind that he is from another dimension, so he didn’t knew about if for a really long time. That’s also the fact that the show isn’t a perfect representation of him: the concept, with the TARDIS and the daleks and the companions was there, but many events were resumed, just like this story is being resumed to you, reader. It’s like you posting photos on social media: it’s a glance, a representation of you. If someone see you, this person will be able to recognize you, even ask about that trip to the beach you made, but without really know you or your life story. 

Anyway, there was another reason: I just stepped inside the TARDIS because I knew her from a TV show. I wouldn't come along without it, and the plan maybe fail. I just can’t explain the whys and the hows right now, it’s too much information to display all at once. For now, it’s enough that you keep on mind that most dimensions have versions of the same persons, or at least an existence of they somehow. On the last chapter I’ll explain the exact reason of this story being posted here. 

Well, back to that day on the future, the Doctor leaved a laptop loaded with calculations and locations and instructions and flash games with Hinx and Yohan. In exchange, they gave us one old vortex manipulator, one we could keep, and three boxes with pieces and tools that I at the time didn't knew what exactly was, but I and Ellen helped the Doctor (who had just two arms, after all) to carry. We putted masks borrowed from Hinx and left, when it was already dark. I still remember Niv-Ram waving to us, singing “So long, farewell” from “the sound of music”. He should know a lot of children’s songs. I remember Hinx wishing us the best luck, and we wishing the same to him. I remember my euphoria for my very first travel with a vortex manipulator; I was happy and a little scared when I placed my hand over Ellen’s, who’s hand was over the vortex manipulator on the Doctor’s wrist. One second later we were next to the TARDIS. The Doctor opened the door to me and Ellen and were about to follow us, but... 

“Ops!” 

I turned around with the loud noise. The Doctor have half the stuff on the box fall to the floor to hold the door, that almost closed, caught by some wind. Or at least that’s what I tough at the time. He closed the door and gathered the stuff, and he went to somewhere and came back with three glasses of water that we drank, gratefully. 

“Ok, rules, humans’ cubs.” The Doctor said. “You’ll not touch anything or wonder around, you’ll seat your little tushes and help me, ok?” 

We agreed, but just because we haven’t any other options, and sat on the floor and he started to work on the underground. We passed him some tools (“not this one! Don’t you know what a wave modulator is?”), jumped when something exploded and played paper, rock, scissor, lizard and Spock. After all the smoke had cleared up and we took our masks off, I couldn’t stand anymore. 

“Doc, I’m hungry” 

“Yeah, me too” Elle complained. “The food from the future was so bad I ate just a little” 

“You can grab something from the kitchen” He said, reading something with the sonic. “Go there” and he pointed the door “Turn right on the first corridor, then go right, left, right again, then enter the brown door. You’re there. And bring me something, ok?” 

I dropped my eyebrows, but he didn’t saw; he was staring a gear and smiling. 

“But...” Ellen, started, but I interrupted her. 

“Thanks, Doc.” 

I grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the door. 

“It’s Doctor for you, young lady!” He growled. 

“Yes, sure” I replied. Ellen waited until we were out of the console room to whisper to me. 

“Are you crazy? We’ll get lost!” 

“Honestly, girl!” I laughed, already feeling that warm aching for an adventure. “It’s the TARDIS, and we can explore it, and he can’t complain, because if he catches us, we say we got lost. Or do you rather be in the console room, doing nothing?” 

Ellen sighed, crossing her arms. 

“It’s your fault if something happens” 

I laughed, confidently. 

“I took full responsibility" 

She took a deep breath, rolling her eyes. 

“Ok, then” 

“Ha! I knew it! Come on” 

We saw a lot of rooms. A really big pool, with chairs and the greatest number of towels I’ve already saw, something that looked like an ALIEN arcade, an empty room neither of us were brave enough to enter after something rubbed our ankles. We’ve found a nursery that has the size of a hospital, a room full of glasses orbs, something that looked like a mainframe and the circuit room, that we didn’t touched. 

After a lot of walk we decided that we really couldn’t keep going on without eat something, so we decided to go back, and realized we were really lost. Ellen hit me on the arm and called me of some really ugly names, then we walked more, found the library, walked even more and more and more. For almost an entire hour, until I recognize the pool. We stopped for a few seconds until I could remember where we’ve come from to reach that spot, then we did the reverse patch and reached the console room. 

We arrived after a couple minutes. The Doctor were fixing something on the console, wearing glasses, completely covered up on dust. 

“Finally!” Ellen sighed. 

“Wow!” The Doctor exclaimed, looking to his watch. “I haven’t seen the time pass! It has been more than an hour! Where have you been? You didn’t bring me anything!” He was a little mad now. 

“We get lost, Doc” I explained. “We didn't even find the kitchen” 

His cheeks got red. 

“Oh... Well, I’ll go with you this time. Where the hell my mind was to let two kids alone inside the TARDIS? You could broke have broken something!” 

“Or get lost” Ellen said. 

“Or get hurt” I said. 

“Never mind that” The Doctor said. 

We walked together to the kitchen, trying to make small talk, but I was as bad on that as the Doctor, so we ended up just eating. That TARDIS kitchen was gorgeous, with the same cool walls with round things of the corridors that I’m sure you know, reader. There were lots of cabinets from all the sizes and colours, as an universal catalogue, over three walls. The fourth one was full of kitchen utilities, but I didn’t knew one. On the center of the kitchen was a table made of some sort of glass and five chairs collected all around the universe, all different from each other. 

That day (or night, that depends on your point of view), we ate a lot. There was some earth food, like nigiris, tiramisu and fries, and that was our lunch (or dinner, that depends on your point of view). 

The Doctor said he would create a room to us, so we could rest while he would finish the repairs and I smiled to Ellen and she smiled to me; for sure we would be able, with pretty pleases and puppy looks, to go on more trips. 

Far from the TARDIS, at some point in the past, a skinny kid woke in the middle of the night, cold, breathless and in panic. A ten-year-old. He woke from a nightmare where he was in the front line of a battle, all alone in the middle of bleeding adults shouting orders, a laser gun on his hand. The air was hot and dirt. He tried to take aim and shot, tears dripping from his face with sweat, but a pair of grown up hands took his gun away, held him firmly and started do take him back to where he ran away of. He tried to kick and hold onto something, but there was nothing around him. He cried and screamed with all of his strength. 

“I don’t wanna die! Don’t make me! Please, Karo, don’t force me!” 

Karo held him even more firmly. 

“I’m sorry, lord Conte” 

And the boy woke, trying not to cry. After a few seconds he leaved the warm blankets and walked to the window, opening it. The cold bit his face when he looked around, wanting more than anything to see the blue box again. 

\- 

While that, somewhere in the future in a galaxy far, far away, a little girl woke, jumpy, screaming for her mother, who came almost immediately. 

“What happened, sweetie?” She asked. The girl just cried. “It’s ok, it was just a bad dream.” 

It was a dream, as you already may know, reader, but you also know, based on my own dream I narrated in previous chapters, how intense the feeling was, even after wake. The girl was just seven, so she just cried instead of taking deep breaths or hope for blue boxes. 

On the dream, she was in a little squared room with two other kids older than her; a girl and a boy. The girl was testing the doors. There were four doors, including the one they were thrown in by Cill. Their faces were all blurred, messed by tears. 

“All closed” The older girl said, sighing. 

“What now?” The smaller one, the owner of the dream, asked, scared. 

The boy passed his arm over her shoulders. 

“We’ll be fine, Mirai” The older girl said. 

But as soon as she said it one of the doors were opened and an adult popped out. He grabbed the little girl’s arm and pulled her with him back to the door. The other two started to scream some really dirt names and tried do punch the man, until two others appeared to hold them in place. The little girl was taken inside a room, crying and fighting back, and the door was locked. The panic inside her just grew more when she saw one bed with the pendant next to it. 

Back to the TARDIS, I woke after a replay of that dream I had on the Guardians. I’ve managed not to scream this time, and I picked a notebook out of my backpack, the one that is always with me, and write the dream down, with all the details I could remember. Then I placed the notebook on my bag again and stood, starting to walk, putting my hood on. 

The Doctor was still on the console room, working, and stared me after heard my footsteps. 

“Are you ok? You haven’t sleep much...” 

I shrugged. 

“Can’t sleep. Can I help you?” 

He sighed. 

“Come down here. I could use a small hand” 

I obeyed. He asked me to hold a piece in place inside a motor. My hand almost didn't fit there, but I managed. I stared him; he had a calm and concentrated expression and smiled to me. 

“We can have hot chocolate after I finish here. By now, just hold this and that together... Like that...” He said. 

“Ok” I answered, and he welded the two pieces together. Then I just observed his work, feeling sleepy and comfy and then, surrounded by the TARDIS noises and technology, I felt the urge to cry; an intense and sad nostalgia, but I held myself back and just appreciated the moment. 

One more chapter then, reader. As usual, so the errors are on my own, since I don’t have a beta yet. Well, then... see you. 

With love,   
Chiye W. 

PS: I don't think I will ever use notes. I talk to you directly on the chapter.


	5. Very white bunnies

Dear human, 

How are you doing today?

You may want to know that Ellen joined us on the console room a couple hours later, then we had some breakfast, Ellen and me insisting to go on one more trip. We didn’t have to beg much, though; the Doctor said we could go somewhere calm and non-dangerous, so we could have and educative experience learning about the past. We asked to use something from the TARDIS wardrobe to blend better on the past (and because we were human kids, and human kids enjoy playing dress up). He said he would move the wardrobe to the closest door so we won't get lost again. Before I ran after Ellen, I glanced at the Doctor, alone operating the TARDIS and I realized why he let us go with him, even we being so young; he was extremely lonely. And a child’s company is enough to warm the heart. 

We spent half an hour on the wardrobe, digging it. There was for sure thousands of pieces there, and we picked a dress each (mine light blue, Ellen’s light green), plus coats. Ellen tied her hair with a ribbon and we made our way back, giggling over some forgot joke. The Doctor was wearing a coat as well, with a tie. With his hair well tidy and clothes on the right size he looked as a normal person. He kneeled in front of us to stare us in the eye. 

“Ok, cubs, rules” He said, serious. “First, we’re back to my dimension.” 

“Isn’t that dangerous?” I asked, remembering all the confusion caused on the TV show by dimensional travelling. Really, I cried during that episode. 

“Nop. I mean, the two of our dimensions are connected through a sort of black hole. The fact is we can come back without major troubles. We can’t abuse, of course, but two or three travels won’t make any harm.” He pulled a necklace attached to a key and placed it on my neck. “The rules I’ll say now are for your safety; you’ll follow them, ok?” 

"Ok” We said in response. 

“So, if I say for you to run, you’ll run without look back. You’ll not worry about me, just run. Same thing if I tell you to hide. If I don’t find you within an hour, come back to the TARDIS, using this key. Don’t interrupt any event, don’t mess around and let the poor butterflies alone, ok? Oh, and don’t run away from me unless I tell you to do so.” 

We answered something in response again. 

“Do you have phones?” 

We shook ours heads in a negative. 

“Good, because you’re not allowed to take photos.” He smiled and we copied that. “Come on, let’s get the hell out of here” 

\- 

We were in a fancy place: big houses with beautiful gardens and very well-dressed humans. Some people were selling strawberries and flowers, milk and eggs, like they were about to sing “who will buy my sweet red roses?”. There was snow everywhere, and the Doctor bought us toasted chestnuts and we ate while walking, looking around. 

“Look over there” The Doctor said, pointing. “See how the church is full? On the past, the church used to be the center of the town and the events...” 

He kept talking, but I’ve stopped listening; I already knew everything he was saying, and I was frustrated. I was expecting something more exciting, with ALIENS and running, but no, he had to go all educative on us. 

A little later Ellen saw a magician and we went towards the little crowed around him to watch. He guessed one card correctly and the people applauded. We joined they. 

The magician was very well dressed with a tall hat and a long coat. He picked a flower from his mouth and gave it to one boy in the audience, then he smiled to everyone when more applauses came, greeting. He grabbed a box that was on the floor and opened it. The box was full of white bunnies, their noses moving. 

“So cute!” A woman said, coming closer. The magician smiled, moving the box a little closer to her. She picked one of the bunnies and placed him in her arms, and I took three seconds to understood what happened and why everyone was screaming and her blood was running on the floor; the rabbit had exploded, pieces of him flying everywhere around. The magician released the rest of the rabbits and ran. The woman fell to the floor, screaming in pain. 

“Run back!” The Doctor screamed to us, running after the magician. One rabbit exploded next to us after being hit by someone, making us ran into different directions. They divided as well, following us. 

Just a little fact, reader: the real world is way cruel than what is showed on TV. It is darker, bloodier and scarier. Sarcastic and revolting. You will see more of this side of the reality on this story, will probably be revolted when I tell you about the plan and the Institute, because that’s not the sort of thing you do to children. So, if the bunnies exploding into pieces was not a pleasant thing for you, drop the reading. 

There were two more humans with me, the others were with Ellen, probably. They were the boy, still holding the flower the magician gave to him, and a man, just worried in run instead of helping two children. We ran out of the town, into the woods. The man was a little ahead of us, the fluffy bunnies a little behind, a hill on our left. You can guess what happened, can’t you? 

Coming out of nowhere two cats passed running, the last one colliding with the bunny, who exploded, what made the second one exploded as well. The cat where able to run, even injured, the man, who was a little ahead, stumbled and kept running, but the boy and I haven’t the same lucky; we’ve lost our sense our sense of equilibrium and rolled all over the hill in a particularly painful way. 

We were gasping, trying to breath and figure out what side was the right on to place out feet and stood. I screamed when tried it; my ankle was hurting as hell. I seated, instead. 

“Are you ok?” The boy asked. He was seated on his own legs, staring me, arm bleeding a little. 

“My ankle... I think I twisted it...” 

He stood, placing his flower on his coat’s pocket, and asked me if I could stand too, what I did, with his help. We started to walk, my arm over his shoulder, so he could carry my weight. There was a little of rabbit on our clothes, but we didn’t said a word about it. 

“My mom studied to be a nurse” He said in some point. “She can help you. My house’s not far...” 

“Thanks. I’m Chiye, by the way.” 

“I’m Stevan. It’s a pleasure” 

We kept walking somehow, talking just the necessary because all the effort we were making. I was glad he was there, so I wasn’t all alone in the past, despite the fact that I didn’t knew where the Doctor was, neither where Ellen was. 

After a lot of walk and some complaining (on my account), we arrived in one of the big houses, just ten minutes walking until where the TARDIS was. Good. We passed the garden, full of snow, even on the benches. There was especially hard to climb the three front steps to the door, that he opened to me. 

“Mom!” He called, and took me to the living room, making me seat down on an armchair. “Mom!” 

The living room was stunning: a white fire place, some armchairs and lots of book, everywhere. The windows were taller than the TARDIS. He took my coat and went to the entrance again to hang it. 

“How are you doing?” He asked from there. 

“Fine” I answered, peeking the book’s titles. 

Now, reader, you must already know that Stevan is that boy who dreamed about the front line on a war, and the one who’ve appeared on the little girl’s dream. Don’t panic, human, we’ll reach her soon. On the meantime, it is enough for you to know that he lived way before the invention of television, so how could he know about the TARDIS and everything else he may need in order to proceed with the plan? Well, the Institute worked it out. I’ll tell you more about it later. 

Regards, 

Chiye W. 

PS: Yep, still no beta reader. And I really hate your verbs on the past. They do not make much sense sometimes.


	6. Stories

Dear reader, 

Sup? Everything ok with you today? I hope so. Just to remind you, we’ve stopped the story when I was in Stevan’s living room, ankle twisted and all. He came back from the entrance and a very tall human followed him, with an impeccable posture. 

“Oh!” She was surprised to see me. She shook my hand. “Good morning. I’m Esther Moore, Stevan’s mother. And you are...?” 

“Chiye... Chiye Keiko. It’s a pleasure to meet you, lady Moore” I have some good manners, after all. 

“Now, Stevan, what happened? Your clothes are ruined!” Then she noticed something else “You’re bleeding, for Christ!” 

She kneeled in front of him, looking his arm. 

“It’s not serious” She announced. 

“I’m alright, mom, but she twisted her ankle. Can you help?” 

“I’ll see what I can do. But you may tell me how that happened” 

He sighed. 

“I’ve met her while we were watching a street magician. We went to the woods to play and felt of that little hill” 

She crossed her arms, looking to him with an expression so severe that I looked away, trying to ignore my ankle. It was almost as when I was at Ellen’s and her mother was mad with her for some reason. 

“You’re old enough to behave like a man, a gentleman, not a brat. After we finish here, you’ll go to your room, to study history” 

“Yes, ma’am” He answered, lowering his head. 

“And you” she said, turning her head to stare at me. I stared back. “You should behave like a lady, and it’s not well for a lady to run alone with boys. Your time would be best spent learning something useful, like how to sew. You children wait here, I’ll be right back.” 

I couldn’t say anything back that day, although I spent a lot of time later thinking on some good answers to that. The only thing I did was murmured something while she was in another room. 

“I’ll sew her mouth, that’s what I’ll spent my time on” 

“Sorry?” Stevan asked. 

“Nothing.” I answered back, taking a deep breath, trying to relax. 

“Don’t mind her. She just cares to much about what other people will think of us” 

We remained in silence because we heard her footsteps returning, bringing two bowls. 

“Now, miss Keiko, I need you to raise your feet” I obeyed with her help, placing my foot on the footrest. “I can’t do much for you, but just for now, let’s keep it cold, so it won’t swell much” She took some snow out of the bowl and placed it on a gauze, placing it over my ankle. “And after here you’ll avoid walking for a few days.” 

“Yes, ma’am”. 

She faced Stevan then, raising his sleeve to see better. She cleaned the cut with warm water from the other bowl and placed a bandage over it. 

“It’s not bad.” She explained to him. “We’ll just...” 

But a confusion of voices reached us. They grew closer and closer, until two faces that I knew appeared, followed by a very confused maid. 

“It’s okay” The Doctor was saying “I know she is here” Then he saw me. “Miss Keiko!” 

“Hi” I whispered, feeling my face burning. Ellen was so embarrassed as me with the Doctor extroverted behaviour. 

The maid stepped ahead. 

“Ma’am, I couldn’t stop them, they just entered...” 

“Do you know them, miss Keiko?” Esther asked, hiding her confusion well behind a smile. Stevan was just staring at the Doctor, mind lost in thoughts. At the time I couldn’t blame him; the Doctor was really an eccentric figure. He still is, to be fair. 

“Yes, ma’am” I replied. 

“So I think they can stay. But once you’re here, what about some tea?” 

“Ay, ma’am” The maid replied, nodding and leaving. 

An awkward silence felt. The Doctor seemed happy, hands in his pockets, looking around, humming something. The snow on my ankle was starting to melt now, but my ankle was less painful. 

“Who are you?” Stevan asked out of nowhere, eyebrows raised. 

“Manners, Stevan.” His mother corrected him. “I’m Esther Moore” 

“Ellen Green” Ellen Green said. 

“The Doctor” 

“Doctor Who?” Stevan asked, because apparently this joke never gets old. 

“Just the Doctor.” 

“Well then...” Esther was really putting an effort to make small talk. “I never saw you before, are you new on the town?” 

“We’re just passing, actually.” Ellen answered, face rubbishing one more time. “We’re leaving already” 

“Oh. Do you fancy some tea, then? Before the trip?” Stevan asked, receiving a look of approval from Esther. 

“We don’t, sorry” The Doctor replied, holding Ellen’s shoulder because she had stepped up. “I’ve just come to pick miss Keiko here. She forgot all my lessons about a lady running out there without a responsible, ruining her clothes.” 

I raised my eyebrows, unbelieving what I was seeing. Less than two hours in the past and I was reminded twice of my paper on the society. Esther smiled, apparently starting to like me more, now that I had an adult to look after me. I was still a cute kid, after all. Good squeezable cheeks. 

“Are you her father?” She asked. 

“Tutor” The Doctor explained, placing his hand on Ellen’s hair, which made him look like a protective figure. “For the two girls, actually, they’re cousins. They parents are usually traveling, so they let their education on responsible adults’ hands. Now, miss Keiko, come on.” 

The words “adult” and “responsible” resounded on my mind, and I made an effort to not snort or roll my eyes; it wasn’t the words I would use to describe the Doctor. But I stood, placing the snow and the gauze back to the bowl. My ankle protested, but I ignored him. 

“Thank you for everything, lady Moore, Stevan.” 

She asked to Stevan to show us the way out, and the Doctor helped me walking holding my hand and my shoulder. I put a great effort on not complaining. 

“Just until the TARDIS” He whispered to me. 

Ellen grabbed our coats and we dressed them while Stevan opened the door. Some snow was falling now, like powder. 

“So pretty” He said, staring all that white. 

“Yes” I said “Almost as if...” 

“It’s our first time seeing it” we said together. 

“As if we’ve came from somewhere without snow” He completed, staring me. 

It was true, reader. The snow had quite an effect on us, every single time we saw it. That moment we knew, staring each other’s eyes, that one could comprehend the other; that inner part nobody else could before. I felt in that moment as if I already knew him for a long time, almost as a brother. All of that took just less than a second, and the Doctor took my hand again. Stevan giggled. 

“You have funny shoes, Chiye” 

I smiled back, staring my present-day shoes. He probably waited until his mother be away from us to say it, because he knew it would sound impolite to her. 

“Well, Stevan, it was a pleasure” The Doctor shook his hand. 

“See you” Ellen smiled to him, stepping out the house. 

“Bye” I said, because I knew I won’t see him again. 

Now, I know what you’re thinking, reader, with your human imagination: oh, they’ll be together in the future. I’m sorry to tell you it didn’t happened. But it is as I already told you: in real life things are darker. You may already have a guess that, despites what I thought at the time, I saw him again, and we ran for our lives. But you may already know that children can’t ran really fast. 

After close the door to us, Stevan tried to sneak out of the house, but his mother caught him and he was told to go to his room and study history. Chapters five and six. He read as a good boy, making small pauses to peek the snow on his window. When the chapters were finished, he sighed, grabbing a notebook from under the mattress, opening it on a draw of an orange planet. 

Before you, human, start to feel all smart, know that no, I had nothing to do with the following events. The people thought of it on the first time I posted this story, in another place, in another time. So, don’t you dare. 

Once, when Stevan was six, someone visited him. A visitor that no one believed was real. He, on the other hand, was convinced she was real. For real. 

Stevan was tucked in bed, waiting for his mother. Every time his father was traveling for work, she would give him a goodnight kiss. The cold bitted his feet when someone opened the door and he pulled it under the blanket. The person who came in wasn’t his mother; it was an old lady, with brown and grey hair and brown eyes. 

“Where’s mommy?” He cried. Something is this woman seemed scare for him. 

“She’s on her way here” The woman explained, smiling, sitting on his bed “I just came here to tell you a story, child” 

“Who are you?” He cried again, pushing the blanket to his chin. 

“My name is Cinathra, dear one. And if I’m not mistaken, you’re Stevan Moore, right?” 

He nodded. 

“You may now listen to the story. And pay great attention, it’s really important” 

He sat on the bed on her said, the blanket over his little shoulders. 

“Far from here” she started “a young lord lived in a beautiful place. A golden place, blessed by the light of two suns and rings. There was mountains and fields, and knowledge. The entire place was ancient and wise” 

The boy sniffed, but was paying attention. 

“On that place, a group of seven people figured out some important secrets, information no one else had. One of these secrets were that the place would be destroyed in a war. So, they picked three babies as soon as they were born, and three more babies from somewhere else were being prepared for an important event. These last babies came from a blue place, with lots of water, trees and snow.” 

“I like the snow” The boy said. She passed her arm over his shoulders, squeezing lightly. “They don’t have snow in that golden place?” 

“Well, they had. But the persons from our story lived away from all the snow. And the babies from the golden place were being raised to be exactly like the babies from the blue place. They needed interventions and adaptations, because it was really important that they became equals until the very last cell” 

“I’m not understanding anything” 

“Shh. Just listen, child. It’ll make sense someday” She sighed, glancing the ceiling for a moment. “The predicted war arrived, and no one on the planet escaped.” The boy’s chin felt. “But the group of seven people were able to send the conscientious of their three babies, this time already children, away. This was all part of a big plan, and...” 

The sound of footsteps approaching make the old lady stood, listening. 

“I may go now, son, but I’ll be back, right?” 

“Ok” Stevan said, still very confused. 

She stared at him deeply for less than a second, like she wanted to say something, but instead she just ran away, leaving him alone. His mother came in a few seconds later and he hugged her, still confused and scared. 

“What is it, Stevan? You had a bad dream?” 

He told, but she didn't believe, insisting it had been just a dream, and he would forget everything on the morning. So, after she left, he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. His calligraph was bad, his spelling as well, but he wrote something down anyway, that I’ll rewrite to you here without the spelling errors: 

“There is an orange place and a blue place and babies in those places. The orange place was destroyed in a war, but the babies were sent away with their conscientious. It was part of a plan. The orange place has snow too, but the babies live far from it” 

Then he sighed, trying to remember the lady’s name, so he could write a title to his piece of paper: 

“Cinathra’s plan” 

He waited until the ink dry, then hided his precious paper under the mattress, so he wouldn’t never forget the story he was told. Years later he learned on school that earth was a planet, a blue planet because all the water, so he associated another planet, an orange one, in order to have two planets instead of “places” for his stories, stories he rewrote when he was nine, with his best calligraph and some pictures, from the orange planet, from the babies and from the big blue box he saw once, when Cinathra made him another visit. But that will stay from another chapter, reader. 

Regards, 

Chiye W.


	7. What I don't remember

Hello, reader. 

Is everything alright? 

When we were on our way back to the TARDIS, the Doctor explained us that the magician once was hit in the head for a piece of an ALIEN ship that felt. The pilot checked with him if he was alright, he said he was (but he wasn’t), and the pilot asked if there was something he could do for him. The man asked for the explosive rabbits. According to the Doctor, the magician has always been a lunatic. 

“To short, he was nuts” Ellen said, kicking a rock on the floor without stopping walking. We were a few steps from the TARDIS now, so the Doctor took the key. 

“And what happened after he told you his story?” I asked while he opened the door. 

“I wanted to convince him I wasn’t just an ordinary person, so I showed him the sonic and accidentally I exploded a window, and he, by his own conclusions, thought I was a wizard or something. I told him that if he harms anyone again I would transform him in a blind rabbit, who would explode eventually” 

“The poor rabbits” Ellen said once we were inside the TARDIS. I seated on that very only chair, taking my shoe of. 

The Doctor kneeled in front of me, pulling the sonic out of his coat’s pocket. 

“Here, let me fix it” 

“Will it hurt?” I asked, worry. 

“No” He assured “But you’ll fell something like tickles, but cold. Cold tickles. May I?” 

I sighed. 

“Go ahead, Doc” 

He pointed the sonic to my ankle, turning it on. I really felt a funny thing, like little snowflakes falling on my muscles, making tickles while falling. But I don’t remember nothing from this point until the time when I waked on my TARDIS’ room, a while later. What I’ll told you now is what the Doctor told me some weeks later. I stared at my ankle, moving him, realizing the pain was gone, then I stared at Ellen and we both smiled. 

“Thanks” I said, facing the Doctor. “It’s really better” 

“It’s nothing” He answered, throwing the sonic into the air, picking it again and putting it back to his pocket. “So, are you girls ready to go back home?” 

“No!” We both said. 

“Yes!” The Doctor mocked, running to the controls. We ran after him, each one of us grabbing one of his arms. “What the hell! Let go of me!” 

“No!” Ellen yelled. 

“You little... humans! Let go!” Then he raised his arms and we let go, once we weren’t prepared to hold our own weight. That moment I realized I was about to be left behind, back to earth, no more travels, and I panicked. 

“No!” I screamed, holding him by the waist, pulling him apart from the controls. If you, reader, already babysit a child, you know they can be really strong during a tantrum. 

“Chiye, what...” 

“One more place!” I insisted “Another planet, on the future!” 

“For God’s sake, you already got hurt...” 

“One more place, please! Just one!” 

“Chiye...” Ellen tried. 

“Please!” I yelled again “It’s for Cinathra’s plan, it’s important...” 

Out of the blue, the Doctor pulled me away from him and grabbed my shoulder, knelling and staring me on the eyes. He shook my violently, eyes wide open. 

“Cinathra?” He asked, loudly. “How the hell do you know her?” 

I stared at him, scared by his behaviour, without even blink. Ellen were shrunk against the controls, staring us, as scared as I. I never have acted like that before, screaming and demanding what I wanted, like a spoiled brat. And the Doctor haven’t been so mad with us before. 

“What plan, Chiye?” He screamed, shaking me more. “How the hell you know Cinathra? How the hell you know me, in the first place?” 

I stared into his exasperated eyes, trying to answer, but I realized I didn’t know the answer. My eyes rolled to the back of my head and I passed out, being held by the shoulders by the Doctor. He placed me on the chair, under Ellen’s panicked gaze. 

“That’s enough” He said, trying to remain calm. “You’re going home” 

Ellen didn’t dare to disagree this time. He went to the controls, pushed something and pressed another one, then swore a really dirty word. 

“What’s wrong?” Ellen asked. 

“We aren’t on my dimension” He explained, checking the data again, just in case. “When we leaved the Guardians, I set the TARDIS destination to my dimension, remember?” 

“Yeah” 

“Well, the TARDIS here displayed the coordinates from my dimension and everything, as if she had really crossed back. But she was on your dimension the whole time. That trip to the past was on your dimension! She tricked me!” 

The TARDIS blinked her lights, like she was joking with the Doctor. 

“Why she did that?” Ellen asked, on her tip-toes to see the display better. 

The Doctor sighed, scratching his eyes with his thumb. 

“I don’t know. For now, let’s just place Chiye on her bed.” 

\- 

“Chiye?” 

I woke in my TARDIS’ room, a little dizzy, felling like the gravity force had increased. I was on the bed, on the top of the sheets, a big coat over me. Ellen was staring at me, and screamed for the Doctor when she noticed my eyes open. 

“Oh, my ears!” I joked, sitting straight. 

“Are you alright?” Ellen asked, placing her hand on my forehead. I haven’t a fever. 

“Humhum” 

The Doctor came in on this moment, with a glass of water that he gave to me. I sipped it. 

“What the hell was that?” He asked, staring me right in the eyes. 

“That what?” I asked back, trying to keep staring him back. 

He stood, passing his fingers through his hair. 

“You were screaming” Ellen explained. “I never saw you like that before” 

I gasped. 

“No... I mean, the Doc was fixing my ankle, then... then... What happened? I passed out?” 

“You were saying something about a plan.” Ellen explained, looking me right in the eyes, worried. “About... what was his name?” 

“Her name” The Doctor interrupted her. “Cinathra. How do you know her, Chiye?” 

I shrugged. 

“I don’t. I Never heard of her” 

“Ellen, go to the console room. Wait for us, we’ll be there in a few minutes” 

She obeyed, leaving us alone. At the time I don’t knew, but while I was asleep (for almost twenty minutes) he had examined me with the sonic (and found a female human child, no abnormal traces at all) and interrogated Ellen, who didn’t said a word about the show, despite being scared. 

The Doctor took a deep breath. 

“You have something to do with Cinathra. This is fact, and explain why the TARDIS are behaving so weird” 

“What do you mean?” 

“She basically never leaved your dimension. Yes, we’re still on your dimension. Also, she didn’t wanted to obey me before I land on Ellen’s backyard, I was planning somewhere else” He sighed, scratching his chin. “Never mind now. We need to figure out what exactly she was planning. Are you carrying a message? Are you a fix point in the time tissue?” 

There were countless possibilities, of course, some of them so hopeful he preferred don’t think about, even because the chances were slim. 

“I don’t know” I explained. “I really don’t know her!” 

“That’s ok” He said, grabbing his coat from my bed. “Let’s go back to the console room. You need to tell me if you remember something important, ok?” 

“Ok” 

We started to walk, side by side, until a loud sound echoed; the TARDIS was flying again. He ran, with me just behind, to the console room. 

“I didn’t do anything!” Ellen screamed to us when we arrived, holding on the chair. I joined her. The Doctor pushed some buttons. 

“Of course, she won’t obey me! Hold yourselves!” 

After a few seconds the TARDIS stopped at once and the lights faded a little. 

“What just happened?” Ellen asked. “She started to move by herself!” 

The Doctor cleared his throat, and peeked the monitor. 

“Well, it seems we’ll see the result of Hendrix’s ship; we’re on the planet I showed him, far in the future” He stared me, thinking. “Another planet, on the future, just like you asked.” 

“And what we’ll do?” Ellen asked, realizing I was confused. 

He sighed, staring us for a moment. Two kids, defenceless. Useless in front of danger. Two human children, scared and small. He tried to make the TARDIS leave that place, but she refused, a really loud sound of her breaks confirming her decision. 

“Well, she won’t move, so I vote for we take a look around” 

We nodded, and I couldn't avoid fell happy. It was another trip, after all. I really miss that time, reader. I was idiot, reckless, careless and innocent. It was great. 

“Ok, come on, you two. But the same rules apply here, ok?” 

“Ok” We replied while he opened the door. 

I must go now, reader. See you soon. 

Love, 

Chiye W.


	8. Melany

Hi, reader. 

The part of the planet we landed was completely colourful by lots of tents until where we could see, all of them selling something, from food to toys, but also fabrics, spices and clothes. We started walking. There was humans and ALIENS, from all places, announcing out loud their prices and promotions. Buy one and take two, ma’am. Best price on this galaxy. 

“Well, since we’re here” The Doctor said to us “we can try some food” 

We went through the tents, smelling, touching and tasting. There was food of all sorts: green, blue, round, with strips, soft, in shape of smoke (which came in little bottles), stinky and one I’m sure wished me a very good day. That was a brown thing that looked almost like rice, but tasted citric, and a round candy that left my tongue cold, but was delicious. 

The Doctor just showed the psychic paper around and the people let us taste everything, but just a tiny bit. But a tiny bit of everything turns into a great lunch. He was keeping a conversation with me about myself; where I was born, about my parents, my school and my childhood. I answered everything, but I was way more interested on run and laugh with Ellen, as the child I was. 

“You can’t run away from me!” He yelled at some point, trying to catch up with us. 

Ellen was running just behind me. I turned left after a purple tent and collided with another girl, who was also running. Ellen were able to stand on her feet after tipping on me and the Doctor reached with us and giggled. 

“I told you not to run” 

“I’m sorry” I said to the girl, helping her stand. Then I realized she was crying. She had big light brown hair, big eyes and was about seven, just two years younger than me. “Are you ok?” 

She shook her head in a negative. 

“What’s wrong?” Ellen asked. The Doctor picked a tissue from his pocket and gave to her. 

“I’m lost!” She explained, with a loud, crying voice. 

“That’s ok, kid” The Doctor said. “Are you a tourist? Or you live around here?” 

She sniffed. 

“I live across the city. I was shopping with my mom for the winter holidays... but then she wasn’t there” 

“I’m Ellen. What’s your name?” 

She sniffed again, passing the back of her hand on her eyes. 

“Melany” 

“I’m Chiye.” 

“And I’m John.” I stared at him, almost laughing. His pseudonym, John Smith. “Come with us, Mellany, we’ll take you to the police, and they will find your mother, ok?” 

She nodded, and we followed the Doctor when he started to walk. I grabbed Melany’s hand and we talked about our favourite books or something. We walked for five minutes and the Doctor turned in an empty street, but came back before we were able to reach him. The TARDIS was there, not anymore where he parked her a while ago, and he don’t want us to notice it. 

“Wrong path, sorry, girls. It’s the other street” 

We walked to the other street and the same thing happened. 

“Are you lost or what, Doc?” I asked. 

“Just shut up!” He replied. “And stop calling me that!” 

On the third street we were closer to him, and we saw the TARDIS before he changes our rout again. I wanted to ask what the TARDIS was doing there, but Melany was faster than me. 

“The TARDIS!” She screamed, jumping on the same spot, letting my hand “I don’t believe it’s the TARDIS! John Smith? You’re the Doctor, that’s who you are!” 

Now, reader, you’ll just know how frightful a time lord (or lady) is when mad on the day you see one. No actor or actress, no matter how exceptional, can copy that. He stared at each one of us, his expression oscillating between angry and desperate. And mad. Really mad. I was as scared as Ellen, both wondering if the TV show would go so far in the future. Then I wished desperately that Melany don’t tell anything about it. 

“We’ll go back to the TARDIS, and you’ll tell me everything you know. I’m done with this mystery. Enough” 

Melany found some brave inside of her and asked if she could come too and take a look inside. 

“You must” He replied, and opened the door to us. We entered, and I passed my arm over Melany’s shoulders, trying to protect her from something I myself didn’t know what, while she was looking around, astonished. And on that moment, I almost cried, catch by an intense nostalgia; I knew her, and I missed her desperately. She looked up to me, and I knew she was feeling the same. She was about to say something, but I pressed my finger on my mouth, asking for her silence, and she obeyed, eyes wide open. 

“Follow me” The Doctor said. 

We did, no questions. He entered the kitchen, pouring four glasses of juice and some chips for Melany. We all seated around the table, and the Doctor decided to try some information with the one he presumed to be the weaker: Melany. 

“So, Melany, don’t you worry. The TARDIS kept appearing on our way, so I’ll deliver you to your mom as soon as we talk a little. Ten minutes, ok?” 

“Ok” 

He cleared his throat. 

“So now you’ll tell me how you know the TARDIS, and how you know me.” 

Again, the creepy dark side of him. I couldn’t be mad at Melany when she spilled everything, staring the Doctor, then Ellen, then me, then he again. 

“I know you from TV. Lots of people know you” 

He blinked a couple times. 

“What?” 

“It’s true” Ellen explained. “We know you because we’ve watched you. More than one time...” 

He blinked again. 

“What the hell!” 

“A TV show about your life” I said. “It’s on air for decades” 

He took a deep breath, not believing anything, but decided to give it a chance. 

“That doesn’t explain your mention to Cinathra” 

“No” I agreed. 

He took another deep breath, running his fingers through his hair. 

“Ok, first of all, I’ll drop Melany to the local police, then the two of you will show me about his show. We can use the TARDIS searching mechanism. Then I’ll take you home and investigate this whole plan thing” If the TARDIS let me, he thought. “Come on” 

We followed him, founding our courage to talk again in some point. 

“We wanna travel more!” Ellen announced. 

“Ask your parents, human” 

“I barely arrived!” Melany complained. 

“Short stay, uh?” 

“It’s not fair!” I squabbled. 

“Life’s not fair, little homo sapiens” 

At this point we were back to the door, which he opened violently. But the door close herself up, with a lot of enthusiasm, almost hitting his fingers. 

“What the hell...?” 

And the TARDIS started to move again, throwing us on the floor again, into somewhere she wanted, again and again. 

That’s it for now, reader. 

Chiye W.


End file.
